Facebook Fast Epilogue

Well, the Facebook Fast has come and gone without much fanfare.  In a move that has apparently become pretty popular, I gave up Facebook for Lent, lasting 40 days and culminating on Easter this past Sunday.  Basically, I was spending too much time on the site doing nothing productive (looking around at pictures and checking statuses) so it was time to cut back.  

Disconnection

To be honest, I did not miss the program much.  I was wasting a lot of time on the site and wasn't really even using it to connect with people except new friends and to accept event invitations.  My blog readership certainly went down because most people were clicking the link I'd put on Facebook before I quit.  Aside from those things I really did not notice my life changing much.

In fact, I'd say it improved quite a bit!  My feeling of needing to keep in touch with people was cut off immediately on Ash Wednesday when the fast started.  I enjoyed being "off the map" as far as the Internet was concerned and preferred that people could not reach me as easily as they once could.  It gave me a sense of freedom.

Connection

While the point of Facebook is to bring people together, I felt more connected with people once Facebook was removed from the equation.  If I wanted to see someone, I had to call or email them.  If I didn't have something to do, I'd have to text a few friends to see what their plans were.  If an event was coming up that I didn't know about, I'd have to rely on friends to tell me or go out and find it.  As a result, I started dispersing the duties of Facebook to other things like Twitter and simple word-of-mouth.

When Death Cab for Cutie announced their Pittsburgh date yesterday, I heard about it on Twitter because that is the site that is giving me my breaking news now.  My friend's going away party that was advertised on Facebook?  Other friends told me.

Did I miss stuff?  Probably.  You know, like all those concerts and open mics that I am invited to and never attend.  And all those people who had babies that I was not aware were even pregnant.  Something's telling me it won't matter much if I missed that some girl and some guy from high school that I haven't seen in 7 years are now engaged or dating or complicated or moving to Kansas or back in town or starting a new communist state in the south of Nova Scotia.  If it's important, someone will tell me.

Friday

Nothing much better than a Friday for one of the first beautiful days in this year's edition of Spring, right?  Riding to work was enviable today cruising down Craig Street on my World Sport this morning with the 63 degree air engulfing my frame.  After a winter of trudging 30 minutes in the snow to get to CMU, I cannot think of better weather to take my 12-minute bike ride to work than today.  Here are a few beautiful thoughts on this beautiful Friday:

March Madness, of course!  Today is the second day of the 68-team tournament.  Basketball is my favorite sport and the next three weekends are the most demonstrative displays of human emotion you'll see in sports all year.  The buzzer-beaters, the upsets, the money pools, and the hope that Pitt will finally make that elusive Final Four.  When my job search ends, I know that the first two days of the tournament will be the first vacation days I try to land.  I've worked Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve; not a big deal.  Yesterday and today?  I'd rather be on my couch.  

Finding a killer job.  I have found a lot of really cool jobs during the past week of job searching, but the best one may have been found in a final gasp of applications.  The position is a Coordinator for Student Activities at CMU.  This coordinator will be the adviser for WRCT (CMU radio), cmuTV, the Activities Board, and a few other programs.  Being the staff adviser for CMU's radio station and Activities Board would be a perfect fit for me.  I love engaging students with on-campus activities and I absolutely loved my time at Pitt's radio station, WPTS.  I love music and students who love music, so this position is at the top of my wish list.

Facebook fasting.  Today is Day 9 of the fast and I barely miss Facebook.  It was an enormous waste of time and I've been plenty more productive in my life since the fast started.  The most unexpected effect is that I am valuing my alone time far more than I ever have.  Facebook would fill the white space of my personal time with a gray area of social interaction.  Instead of wasting time on Facebook, I've been applying for jobs, playing music, and enjoying time reading or with friends.

This weather.  Mid-60s and sunny.  Perfect for biking to the Union Grill after work for a Rogue Dead Guy Ale and March Madness with my buddy Jordan.

What are some other beautiful things about this beautiful Friday?

#letsgopitt